ANN ARBOR -- Nik Stauskas' celebration of Michigan's regular-season ending win over Indiana was cut short the following morning.

It was March 9. Stauskas awoke after leading all scorers with 21 points in the Wolverines' 84-80 win over the Hoosiers the prior night. The evening was filled with camera flashes and confetti as the Wolverines reveled in their 2014 Big Ten regular-season championship.

That morning, though, brought news that had been kept from Michigan's star sophomore.

Getting together with his parents, Paul and Ruta Stauskas, Nik was told that his grandmother, Irene Meiklejohn, had suffered a stroke in early February during her annual winter retreat in Miami.

"I just couldn't believe it," Stauskas said by phone Monday. "I had no idea. My parents thought it was best to wait to tell me because there was so much other stuff going on."

The stroke left Meiklejohn with limited cognitive skills. She was eventually transported from Miami to Toronto to be treated by specialists.

All the while, Stauskas was left leading Michigan through March with a heavy heart. The Big Ten player of the year kept the news out the public eye and kept playing.

Stauskas averaged 17.7 points per game over seven postseason outings, taking the Wolverines from a trip to the Big Ten title game to a date in the Elite Eight. He managed to refocus on basketball, while receiving occasional updates about his grandmother.

Meiklejohn remains in Toronto with only parts of her brain functioning, according to Stauskas. He's visited a few times, none being easy. There are small victories here and there, like when she sang "Happy birthday" the other day.

Improvement comes here and there, but a full recovery is unlikely.

As for Stauskas, Thursday will be the biggest day of his life. He'll be in Brooklyn, N.Y. for the NBA draft, where he is expected to be selected as a mid-to-late lottery pick.

"It's going to be crazy and I'm really, really pumped," he said.

Everything will change once Stauskas walks across the stage as an NBA draft choice.

Instantly, fame will open new avenues to help others, including in one area that's now near and dear to him.

Over the last 60 years, the foundation has invested more than $1.39 billion in heart and stroke research

"I was kind of looking to get involved and my mother suggested that it would a good idea to work with charities and make a difference for stroke victims," Stauskas said. "It's awesome for me to be able to help. Now being a public figure, whether it reaches one person or 100 people, I want to raise awareness."

According to the the Heart and Stroke Foundation, heart disease and stroke take a life every seven minutes in Canada.

“It’s scary,” Stauskas said in the announcement of his work as spokesman. “Out of nowhere it can come without warning.”

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball and football. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com